Otis Celebrates 10th Anniversary of South Carolina Factory

Otis celebrated the 10th anniversary of its 500,000-ft² Florence, South Carolina, factory, on November 1. Since starting production on November 1, 2012, the factory has gone from “having one machine to a full factory with robotics,” Learning Coordinator Cassandra Cusack said. The facility, known as Otis’ North America Manufacturing Center of Excellence, has produced tens of thousands of units over the years and employs more than 600. It includes a 150-ft, 10-story elevator test tower. “Nearly every new Otis elevator installed in North America comes from this facility, which is a great source of pride for our colleagues, many of whom have been here since day one,” Otis Executive Director of North America Operations Rob Gokey observed. Among notable milestones the location has achieved are reaching more than 6 million work hours without time lost to injury; winning the 2022 Palmetto Shining Star Safety Award, the highest award a private organization can achieve in the state; using solar panels to power approximately 25% of the facility’s electricity demands; and passing ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 audits with zero non-conformities.